Nene Tatsumi — Contemporary Art Curator Magazine

May 5

May 5 Nene Tatsumi

Biography

Nene Tatsumi is a Japanese artist. She studied art at the P. I. Art Center in New York City for 6 months. When she returned to Japan, her work "Mirror" won the Gakuten Prize hosted by the Japan Times in 2018. After graduating from Keio University with a Bachelor's of Law (LLB), she won a prize from the Women Association of Japan in 2019. The prize-winning work "Fate" was exhibited in the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Ueno. In 2019, she won the Nika Association Prize in Japan. Her work "Passion" was exhibited at the National Art Center, Roppongi. In the same year, she participated in the Luxembourg Art Fair 2019 hosted by the gallery of Spain. In 2020, she participated and exhibited at the Diocesano Museum di Terni, Italy, supported by the CoART Magazine. In the same year, she exhibited her art at the collective exhibition of Kunstraum Gerdi Gutperle Gallery in Germany, participated in the one-year online exhibition at the Galeria Azur Madrid.
In 2021, she exhibits her works at Kromatic Art Exhibition hosted by the M.A.D.S Millano Art Gallery.
Now she studies a master course at Tokyo University of Arts.

Artist Statement

My subject matter is about the innermost human feelings. My illustration tries to depict the real forms of people in society. I mix flowers, human bodies, and faces as motifs to express human feelings such as sadness, anxiety, fear, joy, and love. Like Hokusai, the famous Japanese artist from the 18th century, I started with landscape illustration initially. Later, I began to describe people’s feelings like how I described landscape. Although many Japanese today are not deeply religious, I grew up in a Christian family. I have been fascinated by the masterpieces of European paintings, many of them depicting Christian themes, such as the works of Michelangelo and Leonard de Vinci. I try to draw my interpretation of human feelings within the Bible verses but under a contemporary interpretation. As an example, one of my paintings that have won a prize in Japan, “Passion”, is my expression of the lyrical poems in the Song of Solomon.
My goal is to inspire those who have seen my work to see the world around them more deeply and to discover the purpose of their lives, their hopes, and the beauty of life itself.

What first prompted you to think of becoming an artist?

I grew up with Japanese manga culture and I was attracted by its power of expression., Also,I have been fascinated by the beauty of artworks of old masters such as Michelangelo and da Vinci since I was child. Although I did not major in art in the university, I was impressed how mangaand its expressive power could fascinate people of all ages and touch people’s heart. I started drawing illustrations and oil paintings to express inside of my feelings. I wanted to become an artist who pursues "truth" by drawing out the deepest emotions of people's hearts beyond reality.

What kind of an artist do you ultimately see yourself?

I think of myself as an artist who is not bound by fixed expressions or ideas. Rather than adhering to a principle, I am always searching for the best expression to depict the "truth" as I see it, purely expressing contemporary figures and emotions.

What are you hoping to communicate to the viewer through your work?

Through my work, especially in my expression of human emotion, I want people to have a real understanding of what people are like today and discover themselves in there.
I use a lot of biblical themes in my work. I think this is because I grew up in a Christian family.
From my very young age, the modern world and the old stories of the Bible were connected in the way I saw things. I believe that there is always an unshakable truth in any era or any ages where all human exist with the emotion of anxiety for future, insecure life, political upheavals, etc... I am interested in expressing the human in the modern world, searching the unshakable “truth” through the same biblical themes that the ancient masters depicted. For example, if I were to paint the Tower of Babel today, what would my representation be? How would Adam and Eve be portrayed today? And so on. Through these questions, I feel that I am able to look at our current state of being and think objectively. I would be happy if my works could help people to think about their primal or unrevealed emotions in the modern world, what is the unshakable "truth" in today's world, whether everything we see is right or not, and ultimately, where we are going.

Can you explain the process of creating your work?

I like to collect all kinds of photos. From fashion magazines to Instagram, to daily life photos. I'm always collecting things that inspire me to create. The photographs have the power to capture reality. I fuse them together to create thematic paintings. I'm also very attracted to the colors and textile of fashion.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

It's about giving form to emotions that are buried in our daily life and are usually invisible. I could find my own buried emotions in many new characters and scenes as I draw.

Can you give us an insight into current projects and inspiration, or what we can look forward to from you in the near future?

From this April, I became a research student at the graduate school of Tokyo University of the Arts. Under the supervision of Professor Masato Kobayashi, the great artist and my inspiring professor, I would like to explore every possibility of a new way of expression into my works.
I also plan to participate in some group exhibitions and solo shows this year.

Website https://www.nenetatsumi.com/

Instagram @nenetatsumi